Governor Baker Nominates Sarah Joss and Kristen Stone as Associate Justices of the District Court

  Governor Baker Nominates Sarah Joss and Kristen Stone as Associate Justices of the District Court

 

BOSTON — Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Sarah Joss and Kristen Stone as Associate Justices of the District Court. Attorneys Joss and Stone have a combined 37 years of legal experience.

 

“The decades of experience in public service that Sarah Joss and Kristen Stone will bring to the District Court and the people of the Commonwealth make them well-qualified candidates,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I look forward to the Governor’s Council’s consideration of their nominations for these appointments.”

 

“I am pleased with the nomination of these two distinguished attorneys,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I am confident that their skills and knowledge will allow them to serve all those who will appear before them with fairness and justice.”

 

The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the Commonwealth.  

 

For more information about the District Court, visit their homepage.

 

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.

 

About Sarah Joss

Sarah Joss began her law career in 1996 as a legal assistant in the litigation department of Foley Hoag, LLP before receiving her law degree and serving as an associate at the firm beginning in 2001. From 2003 to 2014, Attorney Joss served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, where she practiced defensive litigation on behalf of state agencies and handled a varied case load, ranging from torts, to civil rights, and more. Since 2014, Attorney Joss has worked in various roles for the Massachusetts Probation Department, and currently serves as the Department’s Deputy Commissioner for Legal Services and Legal Counsel. Outside of her career, she is the Clerk and Chair of the Scholarship Committee for the Board of the Ipswich Music, Art and Drama Association (IMADA). Attorney Joss received her bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College in 1996 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School in 2001.

 

About Kristen Stone

Kristen Stone began her legal career in 2003 as an Assistant District Attorney in the Plymouth District Attorney’s Office, where she worked until 2014. From 2015 until 2017, Attorney Stone served in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, first as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Bureau, Enterprise, Major and Computer Crimes Division and later in the White Collar and Public Integrity Division. Currently, she serves as Deputy General Counsel of the Administrative Office of the District Court, where she advises and makes recommendations on legal issues and ethical considerations. Prior to earning her law degree, she worked as a licensed clinical social worker at Bridgewater State Hospital from 1997 until 1999. A resident of Hanover, Attorney Stone participates in the Rock Steady Boxing Program for Parkinson’s Disease, and has previously served as a volunteer soccer and lacrosse coach for the Hanover Youth Athletic Association. Attorney Stone received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1988 before earning her master’s degree from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work in 1997. Attorney Stone earned her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 2003.